Roger of Andria

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Tancred, depicted as a monkey, enjoys the imprisonment of Roger, his chief enemy in this illumination from the Liber ad honorem Augusti of Peter of Eboli (1196). Roger of Andria.jpg
Tancred, depicted as a monkey, enjoys the imprisonment of Roger, his chief enemy in this illumination from the Liber ad honorem Augusti of Peter of Eboli (1196).

Roger, count of Andria and Great Chamberlain of Sicily, was a claimant for the Sicilian throne after the death of William II in 1189. He is claimed by some to have been a great-grandson of Drogo of Hauteville, but this cannot be proven.

Andria Comune in Apulia, Italy

Andria is a city and comune in Apulia. It is an agricultural and service center, producing wine, olives and almonds. It is the fourth-largest municipality in the Apulia region and the largest municipality of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. It is known for the 13th-century Castel del Monte.

Chamberlain (office) Person in charge of managing a household

A chamberlain is a senior royal official in charge of managing a royal household. Historically, the chamberlain superintends the arrangement of domestic affairs and was often also charged with receiving and paying out money kept in the royal chamber. The position was usually honoured upon a high-ranking member of the nobility (nobleman) or the clergy, often a royal favourite. Roman emperors appointed this officer under the title of cubicularius. The papal chamberlain of the Pope enjoys very extensive powers, having the revenues of the papal household under his charge. As a sign of their dignity, they bore a key, which in the seventeenth century was often silvered, and actually fitted the door-locks of chamber rooms, since the eighteenth century it had turned into a merely symbolic, albeit splendid, rank-insignia of gilded bronze. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign.

William II of Sicily King of Sicily

William II, called the Good, was king of Sicily from 1166 to 1189. William's character is very indistinct. Lacking in military enterprise, secluded and pleasure-loving, he seldom emerged from his palace life at Palermo. Yet his reign is marked by an ambitious foreign policy and a vigorous diplomacy. Champion of the papacy and in secret league with the Lombard cities he was able to defy the common enemy, Frederick I Barbarossa. In the Divine Comedy, Dante places William II in Paradise. He is also referred to in Boccaccio's Decameron.

Roger, along with Romuald Guarna, Archbishop of Salerno, was sent by William in 1177 to attend discussions in Venice following the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa's defeat at Legnano a victory in which Roger had participatedin the previous year. Together, the Sicilian envoys assented to the Treaty of Venice.

Venice Comune in Veneto, Italy

Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region.

The Holy Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire during the medieval and early modern periods. The title was, almost without interruption, held in conjunction with title of King of Germany throughout the 12th to 18th centuries.

Battle of Legnano middle ages battle

The Battle of Legnano was fought on May 29, 1176, between the forces of the Holy Roman Empire, led by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, and the Lombard League. The Imperial army suffered a major defeat.

Roger initially resisted the claims of Tancred of Lecce in favour of those of Constance, daughter of Roger II, and wife of Henry VI, son of Barbarossa, though he was a candidate himself. He had most of the barons of the peninsula on side, but Tancred's chancellor, Matthew of Ajello, was spreading sordid tales of his private life and the count's support eroded fast. Roger joined with Count Richard of Carinola and Henry Testa, the marshal of Henry VI, and invaded Apulia. They captured Corneto, but at the siege of Ariano, Richard, Count of Acerra, tricked the count of Andria and captured him (1190). He executed him soon after.

Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor German noble

Henry VI, a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was King of Germany from 1190 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 until his death. From 1194 he was also King of Sicily.

Matthew of Ajello was a high-ranking member of the Norman court of the Kingdom of Sicily in the 12th century. His brother John was a bishop.

Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated offices, such as in military rank and civilian law enforcement.

Sources

John Julius Norwich British historian

John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich,, known as John Julius Norwich, was an English popular historian, travel writer and television personality.

London Capital of the United Kingdom

London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 50-mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans. The City of London, London's ancient core − an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 km2) and colloquially known as the Square Mile − retains boundaries that follow closely its medieval limits. The City of Westminster is also an Inner London borough holding city status. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

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